Food

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AMA about cast iron and carbon steel pans

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Rub a really thin layer of oil on your pan after cleaning + drying. 

  
1. Wash/wipe the pan clean 
(you can use soap, soft sponge > chainmail > bristle scrub)

2. Warm on stovetop/oven to dry

3. Either while warm or after cooling, a few drops of oil in pan + wipe it around

Proteins are the worst culprit of sticking. They literally bond to the metal when placed in the pan

Though once they’ve finished cooking, they often release on their own. 

I make crispy pan fried fish on my CS pan and learning to let the food release on its own when ready helps a lot

I feel like I've never been able to get the seasoning to the level where they are non-stick enough. Tips other than a lot of use and proper care?

I'm a bit more conservative when it comes to acid - I generally don't put anything acidic in the pan other than some protein that was in a marinade but has been pat dry before frying

The conventional wisdom is that a well seasoned pan can take some quick acid but I'd say simmering isn't great, even for non-acids

Do you have a rule of thumb for acid x time in CS? I never do strong acid (like tomato sauce) and I never leave anything even mildly acidic simmering for a long time. Can I get away with more?

Carbon Steel:

- Budget: https://a.co/d/alX8Wx3
- Baller: https://blanccreatives.com/collections/cookware-bakeware/products/skilletsmall9?variant=47084873023764

Cast Iron:

- Budget: https://a.co/d/hQC1jJC
- Baller:

Carbon Steel:

- Budget: https://a.co/d/alX8Wx3
- Baller: https://blanccreatives.com/collections/cookware-bakeware/products/skilletsmall9?variant=47084873023764

Cast Iron:

- Budget: https://a.co/d/hQC1jJC
- Baller: https://finexusa.com/product/cast-iron-skillet/?sku=s12

I use cotton towels and buzzywax to season my pans: https://a.co/d/6Vr8Pe2

The instructions are on the can: warm to 200, apply wax, bake at 500

You can do this on a stovetop too, but i'd suggest getting an infrared thermometer to measure pan temp:

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I use cotton towels and buzzywax to season my pans: https://a.co/d/6Vr8Pe2

The instructions are on the can: warm to 200, apply wax, bake at 500

You can do this on a stovetop too, but i'd suggest getting an infrared thermometer to measure pan temp: https://a.co/d/1XLslln

i never know what level of heat, what towel (paper towel leaves fuzz), amount of oil, and time to use when seasoning after i clean the pan. would prefer to not have to use an oven

𝖒𝖆𝖓𝖉𝖆𝖙𝖚𝖒 𝖆𝖉 𝖆𝖘𝖙𝖗𝖆

Yes. Sometimes when you have oil in your pan and your pan gets too hot, your oil will partially but not completely polymerize (which is the processes that seasons the pan, aka partial seasoning)

To remove that, you need to warm up oil and salt to dissolve and abrade the stuck oil

you ever use salt as an abrasive? what's your favorite lipid?

Cast iron and carbon steel are mostly interchangeable, so I mix and match.

Carbon steel skillet: eggs, chicken, steak, fish, veggies - anything that you would normally use a nonstick pan for

(Enameled) Cast iron dutch oven: braises/stews, chili, adobo chicken, or mac n cheese, bread, biryani

What are your go to regular things to cook with carbon steel? With cast iron?

Throw it in the oven and turn on the oven’s self cleaning cycle. 

The oven will get hot enough to basically vaporize the seasoning and return the pan to mostly bare metal

You might have to do a bit of scrubbing afterwards anyway though

what’s the easiest way for a regular person to strip a pan and start it’s seasoning from scratch?

Cast Iron and Carbon Steel are beautiful to cook on, but like life they are not perfect and require some love and care.